Star Wars is a very popular science-fiction universe among its legion of fans across the world. There are movies, television shows, and even video games based on this pop-culture universe. A video game series in particular, the Star Wars Jedi video game series, gives fans the ability to immerse themselves of being a heroic Jedi in a galaxy far, far away trying to stop the Galactic Empire from ruling their lives. The newest entry in this video game series, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is the sequel to the first game in this series that takes place five years after the events in the first game.
I was initially captivated by how Cal (the main Jedi character) has grown since the previous game and has assembled a new team to take on the Galactic Empire. He is weary and seems to be losing hope while completing the first main mission in the game. I enjoyed using a new Force power – Jedi Mind Control – to change a NPC’s dialog options to what I wanted. I could also use this new Force power to direct enemies to attack one other in combat.
Many video game websites provided some initial positive impressions of the game. Engagdget.com said it was “left even more excited to play Star Wars Jedi: Survivor…expect is a bigger and better realization of Respawn’s original vision.”1 IGN.com said it it had “exciting story beats that took place after I stepped foot into the Cantina, or some of the awesome boss battles that I had to overcome..”2
This game was developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts. They wanted to make a “souls-like” game that had spawn points with a thoughtful main story. They wanted to expand the story and gameplay exploration from the first game as far out as they could.
The setting of the story takes place between the Star Wars movie Episodes III and IV. This is when the Galactic Empire is ruling the Galaxy and are hunting down the remaining Jedi. This game contains mostly self-contained stories that do not generally interact with the main characters from the Star Wars universe.
The Gameplay Evolution: Features and Mechanics of the New Jedi Challenge
Jedi Survivor contains new gameplay features that expands upon the previous game in this series.
- A home hub area. There is a hub/town bar on the home world of Koboh where you can talk with NPC’s to purchase upgrades for abilities and/or take on side quests. You can even unlock mini games and new music for the town bar as well.
- Grappling hook. By progressing through the main story, you will unlock a grappling hook that allows the player to reach higher grounds and to make wall running more interesting when traversing the new areas on the map. An icon is displayed on certain ledges/objects to let you know you can use the grappling hook.
- Unique Lightsaber stances. There are new lightsaber stances to fit different play styles. Again, when you progress through the main story you will unlock the new stances. Each stance have their unique moves and Force abilities that gives you a variety of options in combat.
This game serves as an evolution in terms of gameplay and story when compared to the previous game in this series, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. It’s still a 3rd person, action story-driven narrative Star Wars game, but it feels more expansive with it’s story and there is a lot more freedom to explore the map/area in each world. There is still an emphasis on platforming and jumping/wall-running around the area with some puzzle solving in order to progress to the next area. Players can visit new planets that were not in the previous Jedi game such as Coruscant, the main center for the Galactic Empire.
Players will learn and discover new mechanics in Jedi Survivor that can improve their experience as they progress through the game.
- Fast Travel. One new mechanic is the ability to fast travel between different save/spawn points on the map which improves the overall player experience by helping you save a lot time when you need to reach certain points on the map. You can also ride on mounts to reach destinations on the map much quicker.
- Switch Lightsaber stances. Another new mechanic is the ability to select between multiple lightsaber stances, with 2 active stances at any given time. Some stances are faster or slower, some are better at defense, some are better at offense, and some are better with range. One a side note, you can customize the lightsaber color as well.
- Using Perks. Finally, you can equip “Perks” onto Cal with acts as stat modifiers. Some perks can increase your health regeneration, some can trade defense and offensive damage and vice-versa, and some can increase the amount of experience you get when defeating enemies.
Survivor’s main game level design still features a “Metroid-like” layout where players are moving through the main story levels, defeating enemies, uncovering new story elements, solving puzzles, and then going back to where they were before using newly discovered shortcuts. The save points are generously spread among the map and when you die from a boss fight, you will respawn at the boss’s entrance. Speaking of boss fights, there are some bosses that are multi-staged. This means when you reduce the boss’s health to zero, they may transform into another form and you would need to continue to defeat the boss again.
The menu interface features a lot of useful data to players. A map of the current world is available for players to view their main mission objectives, track side quests that are in progress, and select save points where you can fast travel. Cal’s physical look can be customized through a “Customize” menu option where players can change Cal’s facial hair to other hair styles and change the Cal’s main clothing attire as well.
Mastering the Saber: Tips and Strategies for Aspiring Jedi
Combat is similar to the previous game Jedi: Fallen Order. The main character has a health, Force, and defense bar. Enemies have a health and defense bar. Basically, using your lightsaber and/or Force powers, you reduce the enemies health to zero in order to defeat them. The environment can also be used as a weapon in order to push enemies over a cliff or towards environmental hazards like lasers to take them down.
A good overall strategy when facing any kind of enemy type in Survivor is timing. Knowing when to dodge, block, parry, and to strike is important when facing one enemy or groups of enemies. For example, when facing incoming blaster fire, you can time the block with the lightsaber to deflect the blast back to the enemies or dodge them altogether when facing very heavy blaster fire from multiple sources.
Whenever you defeat an enemy, find Force echo’s, complete side and main missions, you will gain experience which eventually unlocks skill points to be used in 3 main skill trees: Survival, LightSaber, and Force. Survival affects Cal’s maximum health and the effectiveness of health stims. LightSaber give new attack and defense moves for Cal, depending of the Lightsaber style you want to use. Force enhances Cal’s ability to use the Force powers like Push or Confusion or it can provide new Force abilities like Soaring Lift. Some skills will only be available after progressing through certain points in the main story.
Here is a snapshot of the skill trees.
As I completed the main story and some quests, here are some advice players can use to help master the game.
- Try to anticipate the enemies movements, and react accordingly. Example: When the enemy is flashing red, try to dodge or move around to avoid getting hit and taking a lot of damage.
- Explore the map to find new areas, hidden items, and new side events to help get experience points faster to earn more skill points. Some side quests can help expand your hub area.
- Use the Force to stagger enemies or to solve some puzzles. Try to look around to see if you can use the environment to your advantage in combat.
Galactic Expectations: Community and Critical Reception
Many Star Wars gaming community fans had many positive and negative opinions on the game. Some liked the customization of Cal and the companion droid BD-1, in terms of looks and lightsaber combat style. Other fans really enjoyed the main story with Cal with the old characters interacting with new characters leading to a deeper story. Some fans did not like the framerate issues while playing on the PS5. Other fans complained that the “big story twists” were predictable and did not shock them as much.
The overall reviews for Survivor from many video gaming websites was very positive. According to IGN.com, “If Respawn makes one more like this it’ll complete the best Star Wars trilogy in 30 years, hands down.”3 It gave the game a 9 out 10 rating. On Metactric.com, the metascore was 85.4Gamespot.com said about the game “Survivor is at its best when every element–story, combat, and puzzle platforming–collides together with frenetic momentum in a way that is quintessentially Star Wars.”5 The website rated the game an 8 out of 10.
Since Survivor was a critical success, Respawn will continue to make the 3rd Star Wars Jedi title in the series, according to the IGN.com.6 I am personally looking forward to the next game in this series because I really enjoyed the main story with the plot twists, using the Jedi Force powers, and the drama between the main characters. If you enjoyed the previous game, you will very likely enjoy this game as well.
There is currently no downloadable content (DLC) available for Survivor or any announcements of future DLC as well. There is a Deluxe Edition available that includes new cosmetic packs for Cal and BD-1. The game had performance issues during the launch window, but Respawn has issued numerous patches to resolve these issues.
Please feel free to add any of your comments/questions about this review of this game in the comments section below. Thanks!
References:
1https://www.engadget.com/star-wars-jedi-survivor-preview-cal-were-home-150301468.html
2https://www.ign.com/articles/star-wars-jedi-survivor-exclusive-hands-on-preview-ign-first
3https://www.ign.com/articles/star-wars-jedi-survivor-review
4https://www.metacritic.com/game/star-wars-jedi-survivor/
5https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/star-wars-jedi-survivor-review-fear-itself/1900-6418060/
Great review! Your detailed breakdown of the new mechanics and features in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor really helps highlight how the game builds on the foundation of Fallen Order. I’m particularly intrigued by the new lightsaber stances and how they cater to different play styles. The addition of Jedi Mind Control and the expanded exploration options sound like they make the game feel even more immersive. Do you think the new Force powers and lightsaber stances significantly change the gameplay experience compared to the first game, or do they feel more like enhancements?
Okay, thank you for your comments, Hanna. I think some of the new Force powers like Force Lift, are interesting enhancements to the gameplay, while some lightsaber stances like Crossguard can significantly affect how you approach combat in the game.